The superiority of silver azide over lead azide for use as an initiating explosive has long been recognized. However, the high cost and difficulty of producing silver azide in a granular form suitable for loading into detonator caps have drastically limited its use to those situations where its superior chemical stability and detonation properties have mandated its use despite its high cost. Recently, a need has developed for miniature detonating trains, wherein the more efficient explosive silver azide would function suitably whereas lead azide would not. Previous processes for producing silver azide suitable for use as an explosion initiator generally involved reaction of sodium azide with a soluble silver salt, e.g. silver nitrate, in aqueous solution in the presence or absence of a base, preferably ammonia. When silver azide is prepared by reacting aqueous solutions of sodium azide and silver nitrate, the silver azide formed precipitates as a voluminous and relatively unsatisfactory product. Improvements over such process have been developed in which the double decomposition of sodium azide and silver nitrate is effected in aqueous ammonia solution, wherein the silver azide formed is soluble, after which an acid, such as nitric acid, is added to neutralize the ammonia and precipitate the silver azide. The silver azide, when washed and dried, is obtained thereby in crystalline form possessing superior flowing and initiating properties (G. W. C. Taylor, The Manufacture of Silver Azide R.D. 1336, ERDE Report No. 2/R/50, Waltham Abbey, Essex, England, 1950; corresponds with British Pat. No. 781,440. See also British Pat. No. 887,141 which precipitates silver azide from an ammoniacal solution by addition of carbon dioxide). However, while these improved processes have advanced the art, they are nonetheless deficient in some respects, for example, they are relatively time consuming, costly and produce a silver azide product of relatively low bulk density, an important factor in detonator loading.